| Show ELECTIONS the monster celebration of their victory by the republicans which was hold held yesterday and continued far into the night will probably be allowed to end and the turmoil of the campaign and lection election in utah this year and that the end has baa at last been reached I 1 la a matter of congratulation for two months or more the excite ment of the campaign has engrossed the attention of the people of the territory to a remarkable extent and the political work connected with it has bus an during that period almost the sole employment of a considerable lorce of 01 men possessing intelligence and ability that would make their efforts felt if put forth in almost any practical or commercial enterprise in view of the fact that this to is the first political contest of importance ever had bad in this territory on national party lines clely solely and strictly and of the need there was for educating the be voters in the principles of the re pec tive parties and in regard to political subjects it would probably be too much duch to say that the time effort and money expended during the campaign have been wasted there is a bare possibility that the results approximate a reasonable proportion to the expenditure though win this is a matter of debate but the people of utah quiet solid nd conservative conservatives as they usually are have at last experienced a long slid and hotly contested election on national issues they have seen the evils of such a conflict and can feel fee the force of the criticism which european statesmen tal esmen have made on the form of government in this country which Is 18 to go the effect that our frequent and bard fought political struggles gules are a constant menace to it that they injure the financial interests of the whole people and are liable at any time to develop into rebellion or revola tion MOD should demagogues demae inflame the he masses sufficiently or should strongly exciting issues be at stake that there are many evils connected with the frequent elections in this country dou is undeniable they unsettle blus business iDess and hamper commercial ori en terp they distract the attention of the people from legitimate and profitable pursuits they furnish em for a great many men whose time and talents might b otherwise devoted with far more profit to elves and the whole people they also furnish employment to a great many men whose time anti and talents under onder other circumstances are not worth anything to anybody they encourage fraud bribery and kindred crimes they foment strife and ill III feeling between friends and neighbors and in short bort convulse society to its very centers and unfavorably affect its best beat Sute interests reste in many ways the people oscillate between ex of governmental policy when elections occur so frequently one party makes great promises of the relief and blessings blea sings it will bestow upon the people if they will but clothe it with power the masses accept the promises and vest the makers with the coveted powers of government probably there has not been sufficient timeto time to even inaugurate the propped eed changes of policy much less produce results from them before another election is at band the masses more thoughtless and unreasoning than before add resentment at what they call broken pledges to their desire for relief from the evils under which they suffer or imagine they suffer aud and with a great upheaval they throw into places of power candidates whom they overwhelmed with defeat at the preceding election and so it goes demagogues sway away and inflame the people the results of legislation are falsely stated statistics are manua c e turea to suit any purpose the intel gotual a c acumen and forensic skill aill of the nation are exhausted in the efforts that are made by the contending OD opponents to so manipulate the facts of history the records of public officers slid and political parties and the actual experiences of the nation as to make a favorable showing for themselves respectively unfortunately for the people the spirit of truth and justice has ball little influence in the midst of the strife and turmoil and falsehood and deception are as likely to prove successful as are their opposites ites the masses almost always thoughtless and unreasonable are prone to attribute to the errors of the government financial and other evils from which they suffer whereas those evils are probably the results of erroneous practices that have obtained among the masses themselves such as an extravagance in living speculation and in dul fulgence gence in booms boom the remedy for which lies with the people solely and could not be applied by any government operating under the restrictions of a written constitution at as all resembling this country it must rot pot be tofe inferred that we dis barage a government by the ballot on the contrary we hold that there is no grander sight eight to be soon seen on earth than a free people marching to the polls for the purpose of expressing in the silent but tremendously impressive language of the ballot their will concerning the men and laws that govern them but we do disparage some of the features that usually characterize american elections and would if it were possible start a line of thought among the members elect of the he constitutional convention Conventi or that would lead to the devising of provisions in the organic law of our new state which would mitigate them the advocates of longer intervals inter vala between elections have a strong follow ng and cogent argument in support of their views but until the constitution of the united states is amended it wll will be necessary to hold an election for members of the national house of representatives every two years be bause that instrument so provides provide but the terms ol of state officers may and indeed must be prescribed by the tb e state constitution and we are inclined to favor terms that will place elections farther apart than they are in many states elates and have heretofore been tik id utah A government to be good must mim be stable and one whose policy to Is subject to frequent and radical reve reversal reals entails much evil upon the che people let our new state suffer as little as possible from this cause |
